New Mexican Rose
Encyclopedia
Released on the eve of a lawsuit between The Four Seasons
and Vee-Jay Records
, "New Mexican Rose" was the third single taken from the album
Ain't That a Shame and 11 Others. The song was composed by producer Bob Crewe
and arranger Charles Calello, a rare songwriting credit for the former member of The Four Lovers who would shortly replace Nick Massi
as bassist for the group. While sales did not match that of the singles' predecessors, "New Mexican Rose" did make it into the Top 40 of Billboard
's Hot 100 singles chart, reaching a peak position of #36 in November 1963.
It was the last Four Seasons single to appear on the Hot 100 before the British invasion
transformed the American record charts in early 1964.
The B-side of the single was "That's the Only Way", written by Crewe and Robert Boulanger. It attracted some airplay on its own, reaching #88 on the Hot 100.
The record was released at a time in which a Vee-Jay management shakeup triggered a sequence of events which involved accusations by The Four Seasons involving the label's purporting to withhold royalties from record sales and Vee-Jay's accusing The Four Seasons of breach of contract (as they were starting to stockpile song recordings - such as "Dawn (Go Away)
" - and withholding them from release by the record company). In the interim, Vee-Jay started repackaging already-released recordings by the group and selling them as "new" albums. While the lawsuit was not to be settled until early 1965, the group officially left Vee-Jay by the end of 1963, and "Dawn" became their first single on Philips Records
in February 1964.
The Four Seasons (group)
The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
and Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
, "New Mexican Rose" was the third single taken from the album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Ain't That a Shame and 11 Others. The song was composed by producer Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
and arranger Charles Calello, a rare songwriting credit for the former member of The Four Lovers who would shortly replace Nick Massi
Nick Massi
Nick Massi was the bass singer and bass guitarist for the Four Seasons. He was born in Newark, New Jersey...
as bassist for the group. While sales did not match that of the singles' predecessors, "New Mexican Rose" did make it into the Top 40 of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Hot 100 singles chart, reaching a peak position of #36 in November 1963.
It was the last Four Seasons single to appear on the Hot 100 before the British invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
transformed the American record charts in early 1964.
The B-side of the single was "That's the Only Way", written by Crewe and Robert Boulanger. It attracted some airplay on its own, reaching #88 on the Hot 100.
The record was released at a time in which a Vee-Jay management shakeup triggered a sequence of events which involved accusations by The Four Seasons involving the label's purporting to withhold royalties from record sales and Vee-Jay's accusing The Four Seasons of breach of contract (as they were starting to stockpile song recordings - such as "Dawn (Go Away)
Dawn (Go Away)
"Dawn " is a song written by Bob Gaudio and Sandy Linzer and recorded by The Four Seasons in January 1964 as the Four Seasons were involved in a royalty dispute with Vee-Jay Records...
" - and withholding them from release by the record company). In the interim, Vee-Jay started repackaging already-released recordings by the group and selling them as "new" albums. While the lawsuit was not to be settled until early 1965, the group officially left Vee-Jay by the end of 1963, and "Dawn" became their first single on Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
in February 1964.